\u200b\u201cWhat I love about this place is that it\u2019s steeped in the essence of St. Petersburg,\u201d said Joe Hamilton, co-founder of SPG. \u201cWhat I love most about this place today is the impact it will have on the St. Petersburg of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Joe Hamilton, co-founder of the St. Petersburg Group, expressed pride in the project\u2019s diverse group of supporters. Photo by Mark Parker.<\/p>\n
\u200bThe estimated $25 million project at 7701 22nd Ave. N. will transform the site into an \u201cunapologetically complex\u201d facility that will \u201creflect and serve this community as best as we can,\u201d Hamilton said. A reimagined Science Center will also be \u201cweird in the best way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bHamilton noted that visitors could walk out of a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) lab and into a tranquil garden with a restored historic mosaic trail<\/a>. \u201cAll while a wedding rehearsal is whooping it up in the Star Garden on the roof,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u200bStudents, residents, businesses, government agencies and nonprofits \u201cneed to be ready for AI<\/a>,\u201d Hamilton added, and you \u201ccannot reach for what you cannot see.\u201d He pledged that the Science Center will open an \u201cendless path for learning\u201d that will continue long after visitors exit the building.<\/p>\n \u200bBlackmon has dreamt of reviving the Science Center since 2019. In the following years, he \u201copenly begged\u201d his colleagues on the city council to help save it from demolition.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI had no funding, no support and little hope,\u201d Blackmon said. \u201cBut what I did have was friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bThe first call he made was to Rouson, the \u201ctrue hero of this story.\u201d Blackmon said the legislator \u201cfought back in the trenches\u201d to keep the site from becoming 12 single-family homes.<\/p>\n \u200bHe credited Crist, then a congressman, for securing the first $3 million in project funding. Crist called Blackmon\u2019s request a \u201cno-brainer,\u201d as the facility has and will provide \u201cso much education for children and others.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bBlackmon began building a \u201ccore team,\u201d including Pathfinder Outdoor Education<\/a> and the Water Warrior Alliance<\/a>, to offer new programming at the Science Center. He then met Hamilton and \u201cpitched him on the plucky group with big dreams\u201d who were \u201clooking for a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cHe is the reason we\u2019re here today,\u201d Blackmon said. He also lauded West St. Petersburg residents for rallying \u201cin a big way\u201d and a \u201ctrue team effort at every level of government \u2013 across the political spectrum<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Ken Welch (second from right), said the project exemplified how local leaders can collaboratively work toward common goals. Photo by Mark Parker.<\/p>\n \u200bWelch said the project exemplifies how city stakeholders can collaboratively navigate complex issues<\/a>. The city will \u201cpursue multiple goals of education and economic development here, but also resilience at our highest and most sustainable water reclamation facility next door. We can do both<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI want to thank the definition of perseverance in Joe Hamilton,\u201d Welch continued. \u201cThis is what progress looks like. This is what collaboration looks like. I\u2019m proud of where we\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bHamilton said Gerdes, who represents the area, \u201cprobably had more to gain or lose with this place than anyone.\u201d Gerdes, who was born, raised and \u201cwill be buried\u201d in District 1, called the Science Center \u201canother gem\u201d for the area.<\/p>\n \u200bHe credited neighborhood leaders for their outspoken support during periods of uncertainty. Gerdes anticipates the facility showcasing technological advancements and \u201call the new things that tomorrow is bringing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cI\u2019m excited for my children to experience one more thing that I experienced as a kid, because that\u2019s what St. Pete is about,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s about that story \u2013 the storyline continuing, and we get to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bSt. Pete for STEAM has raised over $15 million, largely due to the efforts of Rouson, Jacques and Chaney. \u201cIt\u2019s about our future,\u201d Rouson said.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cIt\u2019s about the children, who will get that spark, that hunger, that thirst for knowledge, here at the Science Center.\u201d<\/p>\n \u200bJacques said lawmakers are expected to vote on everything, but there\u2019s no way you can know everything.\u201d He stressed the importance of community stakeholder feedback.<\/p>\n \u200bThe initial stakeholders in this scenario were Hamilton and Blackmon. However, Jacques said \u201cit wasn\u2019t long\u201d until generations of current and former residents shared how the Science Center \u201cignited their imagination\u201d and helped them become better adults.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201cWe are going to provide the know-how to our youth so that they can hit the ground running for the jobs of today and tomorrow,\u201d Jacques said. \u201cThat path to a more prosperous economy for all Floridians will begin here in St. Petersburg.\u201d<\/p>\n A rendering of the reimagined Science Center, which should open in the summer of 2027. Rendering: Victor Fehrenbach @Rob Bowen Design.<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A group of current and former government officials, as diverse as the programming planned for a reimagined Science…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":{"0":"post-112568","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-st-pete","9":"tag-st-pete-headlines","10":"tag-st-pete-news","11":"tag-st-petersburg","12":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","13":"tag-st-petersburg-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Science-Center-govt.-supporters-1024x753.jpg\")
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